On 21 April 2026, US Southern Command announced the creation of its Autonomous Warfare Command (SAWC), a new entity tasked with deploying unmanned and autonomous systems across Latin America and the Caribbean. The move signals a deliberate shift in how the Pentagon plans to develop, test and deploy autonomous systems across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Fleet Experimentation 2026 (FLEX2026) commenced on 26 April 2026 in Key West, under the umbrella of US Naval Forces Southern Command/US 4th Fleet, the maritime component of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), the combatant command within the US military responsible for most of Latin America and the Caribbean. Testing of new technology is standard for the US military and for militaries around the world. What makes FLEX2026 noteworthy is that it occurred less than a week after SOUTHCOM announced the creation of SOUTHCOM’s Autonomous Warfare Command (SAWC).
When operational, SAWC will be tasked with “employing autonomous, semi-autonomous, and unmanned platforms and systems to counter threats and challenges across domains, linking tactical missions to long-term strategic effects,” Southern Command explained in a 21 April 2026 press release. This goal will be a joint effort, as SOUTHCOM wants SAWC to work with US partners and allies in the region to “advance shared goals, such as disrupting and degrading narcoterrorist and cartel networks, and responding to life-threatening crises caused by large-scale natural disasters.”
SOUTHCOM further explained that the Command will work with the military services and the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG) to “identify available expertise and capabilities required for the new command to commence operations and fully integrate into SOUTHCOM’s mission.”
A SOUTHCOM spokesperson gave Warsight further insight into SAWC. The imperative of General Francis L. Donovan, SOUTHCOM Commander, is to modernise US forces and “fully maximise autonomous systems and human machine learning throughout SOUTHCOM, with the purpose to greatly increase lethality, all domain awareness, and data sharing with our partners.” Moreover, the Command aims to “address evolving threats, in direct support of the National Defense Strategy and the National Security Strategy,” the spokesperson told Warsight. SAWC is intended as the solution to these objectives.
Warsight asked about the types of autonomous systems that will be tested via SAWC and if they will be tested at US military facilities within the Command’s area of responsibility. SOUTHCOM declined to answer, explaining that “as the process moves forward, SOUTHCOM will share more information.”
SOUTHCOM’s SAWC can offer a variety of geographic terrains to assess these new technologies, including the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea, as well as US military facilities in Honduras, El Salvador, and Panama to evaluate emerging technologies in challenging rainforest environments. “Our geographic area of responsibility has a wide range of conditions, varied terrain, and diverse operational environments that make it an ideal setting in which to innovate,” explained Gen Donovan.
In fact, this is already occurring: an AeroVironment Jump 20 drone was tested aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio (LPD 17), while the ship was in the Caribbean on 3 April 2026. Meanwhile, II Marine Expeditionary Force announced on 21 April that it tested a Neros Archer first-person-view drone. As for FLEX 2026, images released by 4th Fleet on 27 April show two types of fixed-wing drones, one with the word “experimental” written on the side. “The future of maritime security is unfolding off the coast of Key West,” 4th Fleet said. In recent years, uncrewed maritime systems were tested in SOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility, during Operation Southern Spear and previous Hybrid Fleet Campaign – FLEX manoeuvres.
The decision to create SAWC did not occur in a vacuum. During the tenure of US Army General Laura Richardson as head of SOUTHCOM, she explained to the author of this analysis (in an interview published by Janes) her goal of using the Command’s area of responsibility to test emerging defence technologies.
The waters of the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific in particular are ideal for testing maritime new technologies, as they are close to the continental US, and many countries in the region are US partners and allies.
Washington’s new foreign and defence policies, the development and maturity of new uncrewed systems, and the evolving geopolitics across the Western Hemisphere and beyond have also played a role in the desire to create SAWC. Operation Southern Spear continued throughout 2025 and into 2026 as the White House aimed to crack down on maritime drug trafficking through the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Companies like Saildrone have deployed their uncrewed systems to support the US Navy and US Coast Guard in locating the infamous narco-boats and narco-submarines (they are really semi-submersible vessels, but narco-subs is a catchier name). SOUTHCOM declined to discuss with Warsight which “weapons systems,” including uncrewed assets, have been deployed.
“Operation Southern Spear is ongoing, under the tactical command of JTF- Southern Spear,” SOUTHCOM told Warsight. Under the new banner, US military assets continue to engage and neutralise drug-trafficking entities and narco-insurgents, particularly via air strikes against vessels suspected of transporting narcotics. Recent developments suggest that the White House and Pentagon want to increase the pressure by preparing for ground operations. What shape these future operations may take is debatable, but over the past two centuries, the US military has carried out a variety of operations across Latin America and the Caribbean.
US Southern Command has a history of using its area of operations to test emerging defence technologies. SAWC seems intended to bring these experiments, tests, and demonstrations under a single unified entity and increase SOUTHCOM’s relevance to Washington, the Pentagon, and the entire US military.
